Now is the time to fight for justice and compassion

So Australia now has a more selfish government. That's not just my opinion. That's the opinion I've seen stated in any number of articles, posts and tweets.

And it seems that this was the Australia Tony Abbott and the Liberal National Party were trying to get people to vote for. Their pre-election material focused a lot on jobs, the economy and roads and not at all on helping the disadvantaged or the marginalised. There was a lot of emphasis on growth and the economy and not much on justice and compassion. Their pre-election promises including cutting foreign aid, stopping the boats and ending the carbon tax.

In a recent article for the Guardian, George Monbiot said "Abbott’s policies are really about removing the social and environmental protections enjoyed by all Australians, to allow the filthy rich to become richer – and filthier."  (If Abbott is elected, Australia'snatural wonders will gradually be rubbed away)

Is this the Australia we want? Well according to the election results, yet it is. Or at least it's the Australia that some of us voted for.

But not everybody is happy with it. Since Saturday night, my Twitter and Facebook feeds have been filled with comments from people who are disappointed with the result. Not all of us wanted a more selfish Australia after all.

So what do we do now? Vent on social media, throw up our hands and start counting down to the next election? Decide that the fight for justice and compassion is over for another three years?

No.

Now is the time that those of us who don't want a more selfish Australia need to fight even harder for justice and compassion. If we are to live in a more selfish Australia, those of us who want something different need to ensure our voices are heard.

We do need to accept the result. But we don't need to just lie back and accept the fallout.

I hope that the many people who voiced disgust at the result on social media also tell the newly elected government what they think. I hope they write letters to their MPs telling them what they want Australia to look like. I hope they protest against every decision the LNP Government makes that they don't like.

As Martin Luther King Jr said, 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.'

So let's make sure we're not silent.

But our fight for justice and compassion shouldn't end there.

The commentators who have said Australia under a LNP-led government would be more selfish have got it wrong in one respect - it's the government that will be more selfish, not necessarily the country. And the country is filled with many people who don't have to be selfish just because our government's policies are.

Justice and compassion should never be relegated to the governmental sphere, regardless of who's leading the country. It should start in our own lives.

So now, more than ever, let us be the ones to show kindness and compassion to others. Let us to be the ones to help our neighbours in need, wherever in this world they may live. Let us be the ones to look after this earth and do all we can to protect it. Let us be the one to treat all people, regardless of country of birth or religion or sexual orientation or socio-economic status, equally and justly. Let us be the ones to help the oppressed and the marginalised and the disadvantaged. Let us be the ones to let our own lives reflect the kind of country we wish we had.

It's Not Fair!

Here’s a little experiment. Take six biscuits and two children. Give four biscuits to one child and two biscuits to the other child. Now you don’t actually need to carry this experiment out to know what will happen. The child who got two biscuits will complain that it’s not fair. There’s even a chance that the child who got four biscuits will give the other child one of theirs.

It’s hard to tell whether we are born with a desire for things to be fair, or whether it’s something we learn. But we all seem to have it. It starts off when we’re kids, when our idea of fairness usually revolves around making sure that nobody else gets more than we do. As we mature, our idea of fairness expands. We want to receive fair treatment. We want to get what we deserve. But we also, hopefully, recognise that fairness is not just something that applies to us, but to all people.

When we complain about something or are angry about something, what we’re usually upset about is the fact that things aren’t fair. When we are arguing with someone over their actions, we’re usually trying to convince them that they didn’t act fairly. When we’re depressed about our lives, there’s usually the thought that life just isn’t fair.

Well life isn’t fair. People don’t always get what they deserve. Some people get all the luck, while others seem to have a very rough deal. Some people do the right thing and it works out badly for them. Others do the wrong thing and benefit. We don’t all get equal treatment or opportunities or equal anything – no matter how much we want equality. There seems little reason to believe in justice or fairness. Because it’s something that never happens completely in our lives.

But even though life isn’t fair, we still keep hoping that it will be. We aim to treat people fairly. When we or others are mistreated, we take steps to make things right. We get annoyed when we hear about injustices. We fight to try and make the world a fairer, more equal place.

But why? Why do we want the world to be fair? Why shouldn’t there be injustice in the world? What makes injustice wrong?

The bible is very clear that justice is important. In fact, it could be argued that, in the western world, our desire for justice and fairness comes from our Judeo-Christian tradition. But many people today reject the concept of morality that comes from God. If the bible says that something is wrong, there’s no reason to go along with that anymore. Biblical morality is no longer seen as important.

Instead, our ethics should be guided by – guided by what, exactly? Often it’s guided by this sense of justice. Things should be fair. Things should be equal. People should not be disadvantaged.

If we’re going to chuck out any moral teachings that come from Christianity, then why do we hold on so strongly to justice, equality and fairness? What makes these things good in themselves? Why should I care if I get four biscuits and you get two? Who says we should both get the same amount?

Now I agree that justice and fairness are two very important factors we should take into account when making ethical or moral decisions. The problem is I have a hard time figuring out exactly why we should do that, if God and the bible are no longer in the picture.

But God’s not out of the picture. In fact, I believe this need for justice and fairness is something that comes from God. God is a God of justice. As we are made in His image, we want justice too. And no matter how much we might try to say that God and the bible aren’t important, we simply will not let go of the idea that things should be fair.